How do pakhawaj students learn bols?

Every pakhawaj stroke has a spoken syllable, or bol. Students recite a composition aloud, a practice called padhant, before they play it, and a composition can be recited without the drum. The Punjab-Sikh lineage names three playing styles: sath, full-handed and the oldest; jat, with a full-handed bass and fingers on the treble; and gat, with fingertips and wrist pressure on the bass.